“Think fast, please,” she said, and that small concession to courtesy made aware that that was serious. “Not only do I not have forever, but I’m sure I can’t leave Drusilla at American Girl in the district.”

For a moment, I’m excited, then afraid, as it begins to dawn on me that Dru having a wild shopping day involved more than somebody getting smacked with an overstuffed shopping bag and a cold pit formed in my stomach.

“Stay with me,” I pleaded, suddenly desperate. “We’ll figure something out. After we retrieve Dru and her companion for Miss Edith.”

After finally getting the most out of my vampiric speed and strength by covering ground to the shopping center in DC, I surveyed the scene. It seemed quiet for one of Drusilla’s aftermaths, and I almost relaxed, since I could spy the lady herself cradling a doll with one hand and picking through expensive little outfits with the other, but Dru spotted me first and came toward me, as happy to see me as if it had been moments rather than months since we parted. I wondered if she might hold a grudge, but she held out her new doll and said “Miss Molly has glasses, too. Like yours, naughty Munchkin. Did you not see I would care when you left?” The smell of blood, and the little trail of blood and Dru’s still pretty, yet horrifying, human face hit my consciousness all at once, overshadowing the smell of warming and overpriced scones in the girls-and-dolls tearoom.

“Dru, what did you do?” I asked, as the monster inside picked up the hints of blood among the smells of coffee, cinnamon and new toys and thought “Yum!” to what I felt might be my etern